BRIGHTON has been chosen to participate in a first global clinical trial to see if a booster vaccine could protect people against variants of Covid-19.
Seven existing vaccines are to be tested in the Cov-Boost trial to see which vaccines could be used in any upcoming fall immunization schedule.
Some 2,886 people aged 30 and over are being recruited at 18 NHS sites, with Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals, the NHS Trust being chosen as the site for Sussex.
The 18 locations include Southampton, London, Leicester, Bournemouth, Portsmouth, Wrexham, Bradford, Oxford, Glasgow, Leeds, Cambridge, Birmingham, Brighton, Stockport, Liverpool and Exeter.
The first boosters will be given in early June and scientists want people who received their first dose of Pfizer / BioNTech or AstraZeneca in December or January to sign up.
Experts believe that the seven vaccines will boost immunity and that laboratory studies will verify their response to variants circulating in the UK, including those from India, Kent and South Africa.
The £ 19.3million clinical trial will test the Pfizer jab alongside those of AstraZeneca, Moderna, Novavax, Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen, Valneva and CureVac.
Three of the vaccines will also be tested at half a dose, with experts expecting an adequate immune response at this level.
Matt Hancock praised the trial
Half doses will indicate whether side effects are reduced at a lower dose and may offer useful information for countries where vaccine supplies may be scarce.
The 18 NHS sites across the UK will be divided into three groups, with each group testing a different set of vaccines.
All information will be forwarded to the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization (JCVI) at the end of August or beginning of September.
The JCVI will then guide the government on whether people should be called back with a third dose and which vaccines should be used, depending on the supply.
Among the information collected, there will be data on side effects, including in people whose third booster is of a different type than the one used for their first two shots.
Professor Saul Faust, director of the clinical research center at the National Institute for Health Research, Southampton and principal investigator of the trial, said that “the hope of a booster is that we sufficiently increase the level of antibodies to be able to cover existing strains and variants of coronavirus. ”
He added: “We hope the immune responses will be high enough to protect people against all strains circulating in the UK, including we will be laboratory testing against the Indian variant, the South African variant, the Kent variant like. as well as the original strain.
Any other variations that England’s Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty wants to add to the mix can be tested as part of the trial over the summer.
Experts believe that booster shots of existing vaccines might be enough to provide protection against all variants, with some scientists suggesting that developing new vaccines against variant strains might actually alter people’s immune responses.
Brighton residents have already been vaccinated
Dr Matthew Snape, associate professor of pediatrics and vaccinology at the University of Oxford, said in a briefing that changing the vaccine, for example, to a vaccine targeting the South African variant, could actually leave the body trying to meet the original strain of Wuhan. coronavirus against which a previous vaccine protects.
He said more research was needed, but added, “In some situations you will never forget your first love … you are always trying to respond to that first vaccine.”
The researchers stressed that the aim of the new study is not to pit vaccines against each other, but to see if they raise all antibodies and look for potential side effects.
All trial participants will have blood drawn to measure their immune responses on days 28, 84, 308, and 365 of the trial – with a small number of blood tests at other times.
Health and Social Affairs Secretary Matt Hancock said: “The UK vaccination program has been a phenomenal national effort, with seven in ten UK adults now having received their first Covid-19 vaccine.
“It is essential that we continue to support the world-renowned UK research sector which has contributed to its success.
“We will do all we can to protect this country’s future from pandemics and other threats to our health security, and data from this first global clinical trial will help shape the plans for our recall program later this year.
“I urge all those who have received the two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine and who are eligible, to enroll in this study and to play a role in the protection of the most vulnerable people in this country and in the world for the months and years to come. ”
Professor Faust added, “This trial will give the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization important data to inform their recommendations on how to protect the population from any future waves.
“It’s fantastic that so many people across the country have participated in vaccine trials so far so that we may be able to study the effects of the boosters, and hopefully the most Possible people over 30 who received their first dose at the start of the NHS program will be able to participate.
Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi said: “Having participated in a clinical trial for the Covid-19 vaccine myself, I encourage all eligible people to volunteer – regardless of your religion, ethnicity or your origins. ”
“It’s a fantastic opportunity to get involved in such a historic initiative.”
Further results from the ComCov clinical trial, which aims to determine the effects of using different vaccines for the first and second dose, are expected in the coming months.
People can sign up for the new trial at covboost.org.uk
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Source: www.theargus.co.uk
This notice was published: 2021-05-20 06:38:00
